Muncă emoțională și boundary-work: formarea identității profesionale în rândul practicanților de tarot

Abstract

This article explores the process of identity transformation among tarot readers throughout their moral careers, from amateurs to experts. Based on in-depth interviews with six practitioners and participant observation, the research examines the strategies through which they legitimize their work within a socially ambivalent space, situated at the intersection of spirituality, psychology, and the economy. Practitioners assert their professionalism through sophisticated boundary-work techniques, distancing themselves from the traditional stigma associated with “fortune-telling” and reframing tarot as a practice of self-knowledge, introspection, and emotional guidance. The development of emotional regulation skills and the negotiation of a balance between spiritual authenticity and commercial imperatives mark the advanced stages of expertise. Social media platforms, especially TikTok, serve as spaces of interaction and solidarity, contributing to the creation of interpretive communities and the ritualization of practice in everyday life. The study contributes to the understanding of professionalization processes in non-conventional fields, highlighting how practitioners construct and legitimize new forms of professional identity.